Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-08-06
He WILL BE WELCOME.
The Tri-City Committees to Invite
President Cleveland.
Invitation Will be Prepared and Ex-
tended 10 the Nations Executive
Why He sh0uId Accept and Come.


the committees of the twin tri-appoint,
ed for the purpose Of extending to His
Excellency, Grover Cleveland, president
of the United States, an invitation to
visit the three cities and Rock Island
arsenal on his contemplated western trip
Col Baylor will be invited to meet with
this committee, when q formal invitation
will be prepared and forwarded to the
president. The Davenport committee is
composed of Aids. Lane, Cantwelf and
Turner. the Moline committee, Messrs
A. R Bryant, Eugene Lewis and s II
Velie, while Maj Fl C. Connolly, Dr. J
W. Stewart and j. II. Yore compose the
Rock Island contingent.
The Davenport Democrat Gazette quite
properly describes this locality IN the FOL
lowing language:
Davenport, Rock Island and Moline
form single point in geographical loca-
ton about which centers q population as
large and important as that of any part
OF the United States west of Chicago.
The cities themselves are the homes of
over $4,000 people, and each one Is known
Throughout the country for some especial
feature
Moline is the Lowell of the west, with
more and greater manufacturing estab
lishments than any place of its size in
this country. With the great Deere
works, the largest pillow works in the
world, the wagon works and Moline Plow
companys works, nearly as large. and
other great establishments too numerous
to mention.
Rock Island taking its name from the
Island on which the government arsenal
is established, is the oldest of the three
cities. Its name is made famous in con
nection with the c., R. l. & P, railroad,
known as the Great Rock Island Route. ;"
Davenport. the largest of the trium-
virate has the reputation of being the
most beautiful city in the country, 1t
has an academy of science with world
wide reputation-bs manufacturing es-
adjustments in large numbers, including
three large Touring mills and five saw
mills, which, with the five in the other
cities. make it the most important lumber
point in the Mississippi valley.
Last and most important of all to our
COuntry's welfare is the Rock Island ar
senal. which is the greatest military
equipment works 10 the United States,
and is second only to those of Germany
in capacity. Its buildings were acknowl
edged by prominent English officer who
visited them, to be more extensive and
far more substantial than the famous
Woolwich arsenal which supplies the
great armies which England is capable of
putting into the field. OF the extent of
the buildings. an idea may be formed
from the fact that if the floor room of the
shops was extended in straight line,
there would be hall so feet wide, and
"a, 4S0 feet, or nearly five miles long If
the floor room of the three store houses
was added to this, the figures would be
1920 feet, or nearly six miles. Then
there is the laboratory yet to be built,
which will be more extensive than the
one at Frankfort arsenal, near Philadel
phia. The arsenal has capacity to arm
and equip 5000 men with everything
they will need in active service, except
boots and shoes, each month, or 600 900
men in a year. This includes buckles,
BUTTONS, blankets, saddles and harness.
guns and mountings, clothing, ammuni>
ton. and thousand other things impos-
si'le to enumerate. There is ample room
to employ $4,000 men and temporary
structures could soon be put on the
extensive grounds to employ many thou,
sand more. The shops, being centrally
located. can send its ammunitions
of war to any part of the country on
short notice, and were the the Hennepin
canal built, a project which President
Cleveland always looked upon favorsbly,
ships of war could be equipped.here and
sent directly to the lakes to defend the
lake ports 1t is important that MI
Cleveland should see what is being done.
and now is the opportune time.
The people here will be glad to see
their president. Great and important MS
the center of the upper Mississippi valley
is. no presidents eyes ever surveyed it.
Zachary Taylor came up this river when
he was colonel, and fought two battles
with the Indians here-one Just below
and one just above Davenport-but that
WIS 30 years before he was president
Willard Fillmore came to Davenport in
"a with an excursion party to take a
steamer for St Paul, but that was year
after he was president. Gen. Grant was
III Davenport fast asleep in Wagner
coach in the night in 1868, but I'll at was
the spring before he was president. Two
secretaries of war. Belknap and Endicott
have been here, and Gen. Sherman came
when he was general These are the
highest government officials that have
graced this locality with their presence.
The people here want to see the ma
lions executive-and the committees aud
Col Baylor will tell President Cleveland
if he will stop here on his way to ST
Paul he will receive the heariiest and
most patriotic welcome he ever ex>
perienced.